Baseball Data

What Is Baseball Data?

Baseball data is made up of information about players, coaches, plays, and performance. This performance data includes both individual and team performance, down to the most granular level possible to measure.

Baseball data also measures viewership, coach performance, and salaries.

Where Does Baseball Data Come From?

This data comes from official channels like leagues and sports media. Sports and athletic coaches, affiliated with official teams or not, also provide significant amounts of performance and training data.

There are also many websites with authoritative status in the eyes of fans, such as the Lahman Database.

What Types of Columns/Attributes Should I Expect When Working with This Data?

The most common type of baseball data attributes concern players: their batting average, years playing for certain teams, and so on. However, data about coaches, salaries, teams, and so on are also quite common. Expect to see highly detailed information, like the time of day and how many players were on which bases when a certain pitch was thrown.

What Is Baseball Data Used For?

The uses of this data vary based on who collects and analyzes it. For example, Fans use it to argue player performance and to make bets on gambling sites about transfers or match results. Coaches and players use it to create personalized training plans. Managers use it to making scouting and hiring decisions.

How Should I Test the Quality of This Data?

The main test of baseball data is whether it fits the intended purpose. In other words, a fan placing a bet requires different data than a minor league coach. Afterward, the data can be collected, standardized, and evaluated for consistency and accuracy—and, of course, relevance.

Interesting Case Studies and Blogs to Look Into

Bleach Report: Who Is the Most Clutch Player in MLB Today?
Harvard Business Review: What Baseball Can Teach You About Using Data to Improve Yourself

Tangible Examples of Impact

“During these times when scouting and recruiting has become increasingly difficult, Rapsodo wanted to create a program that facilitates measuring and comparing player performance,” said Batuhan Okur, founder and CEO of Rapsodo. “Working with input from MLB teams to top NCAA coaches and academies, we created a standardized score that helps players better understand how their skills and performance compare to their peers. We believe RapScore will reshape the industry and provide players and coaches with a wealth of information they can use to improve skillsets and be more accessible to scouts.”

Yahoo! Finance: Rapsodo Introduces RapScore, The First Standardized Score for Baseball and Softball Player Development and Recruiting